Methods and system for distributing information via multiple forms of delivery services

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods of managing content and content requests are described. A data store of profiles of potential content contributors is provided. A request from a first source for content comprising content criteria is received, the content criteria comprising content contributor characteristics and content subject matter. Based on the content contributor characteristics and the profiles, at least a first potential content contributor is identified. At least a portion of the content request content criteria is transmitted to the first potential content contributor. If recorded content is received from the first content contributor, the first source is provided with access to the received recorded content. At least partly in response to acceptance by the first source of the received recorded content, the first source is enabled to publish the accepted received recorded content.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entiretyunder 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to media collection and distribution.

Description of the Related Art

Social networking and microblogs enable users to quickly shareinformation. However, conventional media, such as television, radio, andnewspapers, typically lack the immediacy and interactivity offered bysocial networks and microblogs.

Social network platforms also suffer from certain deficiencies. Forexample, conventional social networks often fail to provide awell-defined and recurring system in place for social influencers tomonetize the content that they create.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects inorder to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary isnot an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nordelineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Certain example embodiments provide a system and process that enableusers to share information, content, and items. Such shared informationand content may be distributed over one or more distribution channels.

Certain optional embodiments provide a system and method that enables apublisher to submit a request for content to a system, such as a contentdistribution facilitation system. The system may selectively transmitthe request to one or more potential respondents. The potentialrespondents may optionally be identified by the system based at least inpart on the request and/or other criteria specified by the requester.The request may optionally specify an expiration date/time, wherein ifthe request is not satisfied by the specified date/time, the request mayexpire, and potential respondents may no longer accept the request.

One or more potential respondents may provide content in response to therequest. The content may be newly created content, that is created inresponse to the request, and/or the content may comprise preexisting,previously recorded content. The system may receive and provide theresponse, optionally including the content, to the requester, or theresponses may be provided directly to the requester without traversingthe content distribution facilitation system.

The requester may optionally evaluate the content from some or all ofthe respondents and may accept one or more content items (e.g., to useand distribute via one or more avenues of distribution). The acceptanceindication may optionally be provided via a user interface presented tothe requester, and the acceptance indication may be received by thecontent distribution facilitation system. The respondent(s) whosecontent was accepted may optionally be notified of the acceptance viathe content distribution facilitation system or otherwise (e.g., viaemail, a short messaging service, an instant message, a dedicatedapplication, a webpage or otherwise). The respondent(s) whose contentwas accepted (sometimes referred to herein as a content contributor) mayoptionally be compensated (e.g., via currency or other item of value)directly by the requester and/or by the content distributionfacilitation system operator.

In an example embodiment, a data store of profiles of potential contentcontributors is provided. A request from a first requester for contentcomprising content criteria is received, the content criteria comprisingcontent contributor characteristics and content subject matter. Based onthe content contributor characteristics and the profiles, at least afirst potential content contributor is identified. At least a portion ofthe content request content criteria is transmitted to the firstpotential content contributor. Recorded content is received from thefirst content contributor. The first requester is provided with accessto the received recorded content. At least partly in response toacceptance by the first requester of the received recorded content, thefirst requester is enabled to publish the accepted received recordedcontent for at least a first period of time.

An example aspect provides a method of managing content and contentrequests, the method comprising: maintaining a data store of profiles ofpotential content contributors; receiving, at a content distributionfacilitation system, a request for new content from a first requester,the content request comprising content criteria, comprising: contentcontributor characteristics; content subject matter; and/or contentlength; based at least on the content contributor characteristicsincluded in the request and the profiles of potential contentcontributors, identifying, by the content distribution facilitationsystem, at least a first plurality of potential content contributors;transmitting, by the content distribution facilitation system, at leasta portion of the content request content criteria to the first pluralityof potential content contributors; receiving, by the contentdistribution facilitation system, recorded content from one or more ofthe first plurality of potential content contributors; providing, viathe content distribution facilitation system, the first requester withaccess to the received recorded content; receiving, by the contentdistribution facilitation system, acceptance by the first requester ofat least one item of the received recorded content, and enabling thefirst requester to publish the accepted received recorded content.

An example aspect provides a method of managing content and contentrequests, the method comprising: maintaining a data store of profiles ofpotential content contributors; receiving, at a content distributionfacilitation system, a request for content from a first requester, thecontent request comprising content criteria, comprising: contentcontributor characteristics and/or content subject matter; based atleast on the content contributor characteristics included in the requestand the profiles of potential content contributors, identifying, by thecontent distribution facilitation system, at least a first potentialcontent contributor; transmitting, by the content distributionfacilitation system, at least a portion of the content request contentcriteria to the first potential content contributor; receiving, by thecontent distribution facilitation system, recorded content from thefirst content contributor; providing, via the content distributionfacilitation system, the first requester with access to the receivedrecorded content; receiving, by the content distribution facilitationsystem, acceptance by the first requester of the received recordedcontent, and enabling the first requester to publish the acceptedreceived recorded content.

An example aspect provides a system, comprising: at least one computingdevice comprising hardware; non-transitory memory coupled to the atleast one computing device that stores instructions that when executedby the at least one computing device cause, at least in part, the systemto perform operations comprising: maintaining a data store of profilesof potential content contributors; receiving, at a content distributionfacilitation system, a request for content from a first requester, thecontent request comprising content criteria, comprising: contentcontributor characteristics; content subject matter; based at least onthe content contributor characteristics included in the request and theprofiles of potential content contributors, identifying at least a firstpotential content contributor; transmitting at least a portion of thecontent request content criteria to the first potential contentcontributor; receiving recorded content from the first contentcontributor; providing, via the content distribution facilitationsystem, the first requester with access to the received recordedcontent; receiving acceptance by the first requester of the receivedrecorded content; and enabling the first requester to publish theaccepted received recorded content.

An example aspect provides a non-transitory memory storing instructionsthat when executed by a computer system comprising at least onecomputing device, cause the system to perform operations comprising:maintaining a data store of profiles of potential content contributors;receiving, at a content distribution facilitation system, a request forcontent from a first requester, the content request comprising contentcriteria, comprising: content contributor characteristics; contentsubject matter; based at least on the content contributorcharacteristics included in the request and the profiles of potentialcontent contributors, identifying at least a first potential contentcontributor; transmitting at least a portion of the content requestcontent criteria to the first potential content contributor; receivingrecorded content from the first content contributor; providing, via thecontent distribution facilitation system, the first requester withaccess to the received recorded content; receiving acceptance by thefirst requester of the received recorded content; and enabling the firstrequester to publish the accepted received recorded content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawingssummarized below. These drawings and the associated description areprovided to illustrate example embodiments, and not to limit the scopeof the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example process.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment.

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 illustrate example user interfaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods are described that enable users to shareinformation, content, and items. Such shared information and content maybe distributed over one or more distribution channels. For example,certain embodiments enable requests for content to selectively besubmitted to a specific target group of potential responders, such asathletes, actors, agents, athlete scouts, medical experts, opinionleaders, industry experts, celebrities, a social or working group, orthe like. Optionally, the request may be directed to a specific personor group.

For example, certain embodiments provide a system that enables apublisher to submit a request for such content to a content distributionfacilitation system, which may then selectively transmit the request toone or more potential respondents. The potential respondents may beidentified by the system based at least in part on the request and/orother criteria specified by the requester. The request may specify anexpiration date/time, wherein if the request is not satisfied by thespecified date/time, the request may expire, and potential respondentsmay no longer accept the request. By way of example, the publisher maybe an entity that needs information, commentary, or other content, suchas a producer or distributor of a television program (e.g., a livesports program, such as a game broadcast), a radio program, or an onlinenewspaper. By way of further example, the publisher may be a venue, suchas a stadium, where the responder's submission in response to therequest may be published on an electronic sign or display (e.g., alarge-screen television) within the venue.

The one or more potential respondents may provide content in response tothe request. The content may be newly created content, that is createdin response to the request or the content may be preexisting, previouslyrecorded content. The system may receive and provide the response,including the content, to the requester, or the responses may beprovided directly to the requester without traversing the contentdistribution facilitation system. The requester may then evaluate thecontent from some or all of the respondents and accept one or more touse and distribute via one or more avenues of distribution. Theacceptance indication may be provided via a user interface presented tothe requester, and the acceptance indication may be received by thecontent distribution facilitation system. The respondent(s) whosecontent was accepted may be notified of the acceptance via the contentdistribution facilitation system or otherwise (e.g., via email, a shortmessaging service, an instant message, a dedicated application, awebpage or otherwise). The respondent(s) whose content was accepted(sometimes referred to herein as a content contributor) may becompensated directly by the requester and/or by the content distributionfacilitation system operator.

Optionally, the compensation may be timed/event based. For example, ifthe content is received during a live sporting event broadcast where thecontent may be used, the responder may receive a relatively higher levelthan if the content is received after the live sporting event for use ina news report reporting on the sporting event. Optionally, a respondermay receive a relatively lower compensation for providing the content ifthe content is submitted in response to the request, but is notaccepted. Optionally, if the content is not accepted by the requesterwithin a specified period of time, the ability of the requester toaccept the content may expire, and the content may be offered to otherson an exclusive (or non-exclusive) basis. For example, if the content isnot accepted by the requester within a specified period of time, thesystem may offer the content to other potential users (e.g., mediapartners), optionally with a designated acceptance period. Once thatacceptance period passes without a purchase by such a media partner, orif the responder indicated that they do not want the content offered toother media partners, then the content may be automatically publishedout to social media (e.g., a microblog, a blog, a social network page,etc.), some or all of which may be hosted by the system or by thirdparty systems. For example, the system may host a website where a givenresponder/content contributor (e.g., an athlete or celebrity) isprovided a page or site, where the content provided in a response, aswell as other content (e.g., videos, photos, text, conversations) may beposted in association with ads or sponsorships, enabling richer faninteractions, and generating revenue for such content providers.

Optionally, the requester may specify different amounts of compensationfor different response times. For example the requester may specify thatthe responder will receive $500 if the response is received within 5minutes of the request being submitted, $300 if the response is receivedbetween 6-30 minutes of the request being submitted, and $150 if theresponse is received between 31 minutes and 4 hours of the request beingsubmitted. In this example, the requester may specify that the offerexpires if the content is not received within 4 hours of the requestbeing submitted. In addition to or instead of specifying relative time,the request may specify absolute time periods. For example, requestermay specify that the responder will receive $500 if the response isreceived by 1:15 PM, $300 if the response is received between 1:16PM-1:45 PM, and $150 if the response is received between 1:46 PM and5:45 PM.

Optionally, a point system may be used in addition to or instead of thecurrency payment system described herein. For example, a responder maybe awarded a first set of points (e.g., 5 points or other number ofpoints) for submitting a response to a requester (e.g., video, audio,and/or text media), and may be awarded a second number of points (e.g.,3 to 10 times as many points as the first number of points), if therequester uses the submitted response (e.g., by broadcasting it viatelevision, radio, webpage, SMS message, or email). Optionally, thesystem may enable the responder to convert the points to an item ofvalue, such as currency, a gift card, a product, and/or a service.Optionally, some or all of the items of value may be provisioned by asponsor seeking to advertise their product and/or service. For example,a golf equipment company may provide golfing equipment which theresponder would “purchase” via the system or otherwise using points. Thesponsor may obtain the benefit of having a well-known responder (e.g., awell-known athlete) use their product and/or service, and may optionallybe entitled to identify, via advertisements or otherwise, that theresponder uses the sponsor's products and/or services. Optionally, thesponsor may specify that in order to receive the item of value, theresponder needs to include the item in a video response that includesthe responder (e.g., for product placement). Optionally, the respondermay need to have at least a threshold amount of points in order toexchange the points for an item of value. Optionally, a given point maybe assigned a certain currency value (e.g., each point or each 10 pointsequal one dollar).

The requester may be provided with an exclusive right to utilize theaccepted content for a specified time period, number of views, and/orfor one or more specified distribution channels (e.g., television,radio, print, etc.). For example, the length of exclusivity may be basedon the fee, wherein the relatively larger the fee for a given item ofcontent, the relatively longer the period of exclusivity. Optionally,once the period of exclusivity ends, the content may be automaticallypublished via one or more other publication channels. For example, thecontent, or a portion thereof, may automatically be published on amicro-blogging site, a conventional blog, a social networking site, viaemail, via short messaging service message, and/or otherwise.Optionally, at least partly in response to the expiration of theexclusivity or a date related thereto, a notification is posted on asocial networking site associated with the publisher and/or the contentcontributor (or elsewhere) regarding the loss of exclusivity and/orindicating (with text, a link, or otherwise) where else the content cannow be found (e.g., on the content contributor's social network page).Instead or in addition, the notification may be provided via amicroblog, text message, email, or otherwise. The publication channelsmay be associated with the responder and/or the system operator. Forexample, the content may be published on the contributor's socialnetworking page and/or microblog after the exclusivity expiration.Advertising (e.g., from sponsors that pay a fee) may be provided on sucha site, where the revenue may be shared by the responder and the contentdistribution facilitation system. During the period of exclusivity, thesystem may ensure that the accepted content is not distributed via thesystem to other requesters during the period. Optionally, when anexclusivity period expires, a notification may be transmitted by thesystem to the requester and to the corresponding responder regarding theexpiration of the exclusivity.

Optionally, the requestor is not granted exclusive rights. Optionally,the requester is assigned ownership of the content.

For example, if during a live sporting event, such as a baseball game, anotable event occurs (e.g., a player hitting four home runs in a game, arecord breaking event, a unusual event, a notable statistic, etc.), abroadcaster of the live event may want to request that other playersthat have achieved the same feat provide commentary regarding the featwhile the game is still in progress to enhance the excitement of thegame broadcast and to add a social networking aspect to the gamebroadcast. The broadcaster may submit, via a user interface provided bythe system, a request for such commentary during the game (e.g., almostimmediately after the event occurred) and may specify that the query isto be directed to athletes, and in particular to other players that havepreviously achieved the feat. The request may specify the subject thatthe athlete is to discuss (e.g., how they feel regarding another athleteachieving the feat). The requester may also specify a response deadline,the media type for the response (e.g., video (including an audio track),static images (e.g., photographs), audio only track, text, etc.), andother response criteria via the user interface. For example, theresponse criteria may specify a response length.

Optionally, potential responder's may have an application or applicationprogramming interface (API) installed on their devices that detectcertain actions being performed by the responders. For example, theapplication may detect in real time if a responder is viewing a program,such as a sporting event, and may identify which program is beingwatched, and may transmit such detection to the content distributionfacilitation system. Optionally, the application prompts the potentialresponder to indicate (e.g., by tapping on a corresponding control orotherwise) that he or she is (or is not) watching a specific program,and the application will cause the indication to be transmitted to thecontent distribution facilitation system. The requester may specify thatthe request is to be provided to potential responders that are currentlywatching a specified program. For example, the request may specify thatthe responder is to comment on an event that just took place in theprogram (e.g., hitting of a home run or a triple play).

Optionally, in addition to or instead of requesting a recordedsubmission, the requester may request that a responder participate in alive interview/discussion, either substantially immediately (e.g.,within 1 minute, 5, minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour of therequest) or at some specified date/time (e.g., Sep. 30, 2013 at 11:00AM). One or more responders may agree to the request and the requestermay engage one or more of such responders. Optionally, a responder mayparticipate in the interview/discussion using the responder's mobiledevice (e.g., mobile telephone) camera and/or microphone to capturevideo and/or voice. Other devices, such as a desktop computer, laptopcomputer, tablet computer, television, game console, etc. that arecoupled to a camera and/or microphone may be used to capture theresponder's video and/or voice and to transmit them in substantiallyreal-time (e.g., with less than a second lag) via the system describedherein or other system. Likewise, the responder device may be used toreceive video and audio from the requester, enabling the requester andresponder to engage in an audio-video discussion.

By way of illustration, if the response is to be a video or audioresponse, the request may specify the minimum and/or maximum time lengthof the response, and if the response is text, the request may specifyminimum and/or maximum number of words and/or characters. By way offurther example, if the response is video or a still image, the responsecriteria may include orientation (e.g., landscape or portrait), whichmay be selected based at least in part to the target contentreproduction device (e.g., television sets, phones, tablet computers,desktop computers, etc.).

The requester may also indicate a desired period of time of exclusivityand/or a desired exclusive form of distribution. Corresponding fees maybe specified by the system to the requester for different lengths ofexclusivity and/or avenues of distribution. Optionally, the requestermay specify the fees the requester is willing to pay for the same, aspart of the request criteria.

Using the requester criteria, the system may search its database ofpotential responders, such as athletes, actors, celebrities, experts,designers, artists, musicians, etc., for potential responders whosestored profiles match the requester criteria and that have agreed toreceive such requests. For example, the database may include profiles ofathletes, such as baseball players, which may include variousstatistics, events, and achievements from some or all of the games theyhave played in (including those that result from an aggregation ofachievements over multiple games, such as how many games the player hasplayed in a row, or how may games in a row the player has hit a homerun). The system may transmit the request to matching potentialresponders, where the request may include some or all of the requesterspecified response criteria. By way of example, the request may betransmitted to a potential responder via email, short messaging service(e.g., SMS, MIMS, etc.), instant messaging service, an application(sometimes referred to as an “app”) downloaded to or otherwise installedon a potential recipient device (e.g. a mobile phone, tablet computer,entertainment device, etc.), and/or otherwise. For example, as notedabove, the notification may be provided as an “in-app” notification byan application installed on the responder's mobile phone, tabletcomputer, or entertainment device.

Optionally, a given potential responder that receives the request mayrecord the content requested via a mobile device, such as a phone. Forexample, a phone application may be configured to both present therequest and enable the recording of the response content, optionally atthe same time. By way of illustration, if the request includes a requestfor video content of the recipient, the application may activate a frontfacing camera of the phone and present a user interface on the phonedisplay showing the image being captured by the front facing camera,where the request may be displayed at the same time. A record controlmay be provided. When the recipient activates the record control, arecording of the recipient (e.g., discussing the subject matter includedin the request) is initiated. A timer (e.g., a countdown counter) may bepresented while the recording is in process which may count down a timecorresponding to the requested length of the video content. For example,the request transmitted to the user phone application may include therequested length, and the application may load the timer with acorresponding time. Optionally, once the timer has reached a certainvalue (e.g., 0), the recording may be automatically halted by theapplication. Optionally, instead, the recording may continue until therecipient activates a stop or pause control (optionally an indication isprovided that the recording has exceeded the requested length). Therecorded content may be transmitted to the content distributionfacilitation system or the content distribution facilitation system mayotherwise access the content.

Thus, one or more responses, including requested content or linksthereto, may be provided by the requested recipients. The responses maybe received by content distribution facilitation system. The contentdistribution facilitation system may forward the responses to therequester or otherwise notify the requester and enable the requester toaccess the responses. For example, a user interface provided by thecontent distribution facilitation system to the requester via arequester terminal may display a listing of responses from which therequester can select. Optionally, a watermark may be embedded in thecontent provided to the requester for review, to prevent or discouragethe use of the content until accepted by the requester and/or paid forby the requester. For example, with respect to video or image content,the watermark may be visual. With respect to audio content, thewatermark may be audible. The content may be provided without thewatermark once accepted by the requester.

In an example embodiment, the requester may access the responses via alist presented in a web page provided for display by the system, via adedicated software application, or otherwise. The requester may click ona control, such as a view control, presented in association with arespective response entry, and the corresponding response is presented(e.g., presented as text, video, and/or audio). The requester may thenprovide, via a user interface, an indication of acceptance of one ormore of the responses. The acceptance may be recorded by the system andthe system may then charge or invoice the requester for the acceptedresponses.

Optionally, an interface may be provided enabling the requester tospecify reasons as to why the requester did not accept a given response(e.g., the video quality was poor, the camera was shaky, the soundquality was poor, the content was uninteresting, the content includedobjectionable content (e.g., obscene language, racist language, etc.)).A notification may be transmitted to the responders indicatingacceptance or non-acceptance of respective responses (optionallyincluding reasons for non-acceptance provided by the requester), and aconfirmation of the acceptance may be transmitted to the requester.

Optionally, content not accepted by the requester may then be offered toothers for use on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis (e.g., where therequester affirmatively specifies that the content is not accepted or apredetermined period of time elapses without an acceptance by therequester and so the content is designated by the system as“not-accepted”). For example, other potential licensees/purchasers ofthe content may be provided by the system with a search interface wherethey can enter search queries to identify content they may be interestedin. By way of further example, such interface may include fieldsenabling a searcher to specify subject matter criteria (e.g., homeruns), author criteria (e.g., a pitcher), content specifications (e.g.,format, length, type (e.g., audio video, audio only, images, etc.),availability of exclusive rights, and/or other criteria discussed hereinwith respect to requester-specified criteria. The system may then returnmatching search results (if any), with an associated control enablingthe searcher to specify they want to licensee/purchase a given item ofcontent identified in the search results. Optionally, the responder maycorrect the issue(s) identified by the requester and may resubmit thecorrected content which the requester may or may not accept, assimilarly described above.

After the requester has accepted and received the content, the requestermay publish the accepted content accordingly (e.g., in a televisionprogram, radio program, online news program, etc.). Optionally, therequester may inform the system where (e.g., which channel, station,online media, URL, etc.) and when (e.g., time and date) the content willbe published, and the system will cause a notification to be presentedto potential consumers, indicating where and when they can find and view(and/or listen to) the content. Optionally, such a notification isposted on a social networking site associated with the publisher and/orthe content contributor indicating (with text, a link, or otherwise)where and when the content can be found. Instead or in addition, thenotification may be provided via a microblog, text message, email, orotherwise by the system, content provider, and/or publisher.

Further non-limiting examples of the type of criteria that may bespecified by a requester will now be described. A user interface may beprovided enabling the user to specify, by way of example:

-   -   region (e.g., city),    -   sport,    -   team,    -   accomplishments (all-star, Cy Young award winner, Heisman trophy        winner, specified RBI range, specified stolen base range,        specified number of consecutive games in which the responder        accomplished a specified act, specified number of singles,        doubles, and/or triples per game, specified number of at bats,        specified passing, rushing, receiving, punting, kick, touchdown        accomplishments, etc.),    -   age range (athletes over 40),    -   medical condition or procedure (e.g., having a type of surgery,        such as ligament reconstruction surgery, having numbness in a        limb),    -   which years played and/or under what coaches,    -   which bowl games played,    -   which positions played,    -   which and how many season games played in,    -   which and how many post-season/playoff game(s) played in,    -   which and how many world series games played in, etc.

By way of further example, for movie or television related content, thecriteria may specify:

-   -   profession type (e.g., actor, writer, director, editor,        composer, set designer, etc.),    -   award-types won (e.g., Academy Award, People's Choice Award,        Critics Award, Emmy Awards etc.),    -   award category (e.g., Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting        Actor, Best Supporting Actress),    -   movies appeared in or otherwise participated in,    -   television shows appeared in or otherwise participated in,    -   etc.

By way of further illustration, an online newspaper or other news sitemay be publishing an article regarding a crime, such as a murder. Thepublisher may want audio commentary regarding the crime from apsychologist. The publisher may submit a request to the system for audiocontent, of a specified length, commenting on the subject of the crime,from a psychologist having an expertise in criminal psychology. Thesystem may identify psychologists meeting the publisher's criteria, andtransmit the request to some or all of the identified psychologists. Theresponses, including audio content, may be received by the system andmade available to the publisher (e.g., via a website, dedicatedapplication, or otherwise). The publisher may listen to the audiocontent from several or all of the responses from the psychologists. Thepublisher may accept a response. The publisher may then embed in thearticle a link to the audio content. A user can then read the articleand activate the link in order to hear the audio content.

An application programming interface may be provided enabling thirdparty systems to gain access to some or all of the services provided bythe content distribution facilitation system. The operator of a thirdsystem may pay a licensing fee for such access.

The operator of the system may utilize one or more fee arrangements toobtain compensation for the services provided and to reimburse the feespaid to content providers. By way of example, publishers may pay aperiodic subscription fee in order to utilize the system and obtain theright (e.g., the exclusive right for a least a period of time) toutilize content provided by content providers (e.g., athletes,celebrities, medical personal, etc.) and accepted by the requester.Optionally, the subscription service may only enable the requester toissue requests for and/or accept a specified number of items of contentwithin a specified period of time (e.g., the requester may only bepermitted to submit 5 requests per month).

Compensation may also be received from sponsors and advertisers.Optionally, a content contributor responding to a request may becompensated in whole or in part via compensation sponsored by a thirdparty (e.g., that wants to advertise its goods, services, or brandname). For example, a contributor may be given a gift card (which may bea new gift card or a recharge of value of a gift card previouslydistributed to the contributor) for each submission (or for a specifiednumber of submissions), the gift card provided in association with anadvertisement from a sponsor that is paying for all or a portion of thegift card value.

Optionally, in addition or instead, the content contributor may beprovided with a portion of the revenue from a sponsor sponsoring a show,newspaper, or other medium using and distributing the content. Forexample, if the content is a 1 minute video of an athlete contentcontributor being displayed during a broadcast of a live game, the videomay be introduced as “this minute of baseball starring John Smith ispresented by [sponsor name]”. The sponsor may pay to have their brandassociated with the video, and the athlete may receive some or all ofthe sponsorship fees. Optionally, the content contributor may be paid afixed amount. Optionally, certain requesters (e.g., companies) mayrequest the responder (e.g., a celebrity, such as an athlete or actor)to perform product placement acts and compensate the responderaccordingly. For example, a company may request, and pay a fee forcertain celebrities to say “Happy Mother's Day” while holding a foodproduct provided by the company. By way of further example, certainrequesters (e.g., companies) may request that the responder include therequester's logo (e.g., via a watermark or otherwise) into videossubmitted by the responder in response to a request from the requesteroffering payment for inclusion of the logo and/or to requests from otherrequesters and/or for videos distributed by one or more specified mediapartners. The logo may be provided by the requester and inserted by theresponder, the system, or otherwise.

Optionally, the amount the content contributor is paid for his or hercontribution may vary and may be determined based on one or more of thefollowing factors and/or other factors:

-   -   length/size of content;    -   type of content (e.g., video, audio, text);    -   type of use by publisher (e.g., television, radio, printed        newspaper, online newspaper, online broadcast, blog, pushed out        to users (e.g., via email, SMS, website, microblog, etc.),        etc.);    -   timing of the provision of the content from the contributor        (e.g., how long after the content request was submitted the        content was received by the publisher);    -   length of exclusivity;    -   etc.

Optionally, a requester can request items other than publishablecontent. For example, a requester may specify that they want a specifictype of item of memorabilia from a specific potential responder and/orfrom a responder selected from a group of responders that satisfy therequestor's criteria. As similarly described above, the criteria may bespecified via a user interface provided by the system. For example, therequester may request a signed baseball from a specific baseball player,or the requester may request a signed baseball from any current playeron a specified baseball team. The requester may also specify a timeframe in which the memorabilia needs to be received by the requester.For example, the requestor may want to ensure that the memorabilia isreceived by a designated gift recipient in time for the gift recipient'sbirthday.

The system may access its database to identify potential responders thatsatisfy the requester criteria, and transmit the request to some or allof the identified potential responders. If a potential responder acceptsthe request, the system may receive the acceptance and notify otherpotential responders that the request has been taken and is no longeravailable to service. The responder that accepted the request thenprovides the requested memorabilia to the requestor. A fixed fee may bespecified for different types of memorabilia, or the requester mayspecify in the request how much they are willing to pay for thememorabilia, and the potential responder may determine whether they wantto satisfy the request based at least in part on the fee amount. Theresponder is correspondingly compensated and the requester iscorrespondingly charged.

The foregoing process may be similarly performed by the system for othertypes of requests. For example, a requester may request that a specificpotential responder (e.g., a specified athlete, musical performer,actor, celebrity, etc.) or a potential responder satisfying criteriaspecified by the user, provide a recorded video of the potentialresponder singing happy birthday, wherein the rendition of happybirthday is to include the recitation of a specified recipient of thevideo (e.g., a boy or girl whose birthday it is). By way of furtherexample, the request may be a request to answer a question by therequester (e.g., regarding a statistic, opinion (e.g., who was the bestplay at a specified position) or a personal fact of the potentialresponder. Optionally, the request may include text that the responderis to recite in the response (e.g., where the text may include the nameof a host of a show on which the content is to be used, such as “Hello,Joe, let me tell you what I think of the last play . . . ”). Suchrequests and responses may be processed as similarly discussed above,and the content may be provided to the requester and/or directly to aspecified gift recipient (e.g., via a video download file, streamingmedia, a DVD, or otherwise).

Optionally, the system enables users (e.g., celebrities, athletes, etc.)to create unsolicited content and offer the content to potential contentconsumers (e.g., publishers, individual end-users, etc.). The user maytag the content with appropriate descriptors. For example, the tags mayindicate the media type, the media length, the media content subjectmatter, the user's credentials and/or resume information (e.g., theuser's profession, awards, notable accomplishments, area of expertise,etc.), the use fee, etc. The user may also specify specific users (e.g.,producers or broadcasters of specific television shows) and/or specifictypes of users (e.g., producers or broadcasters of sports programs) towhom the content offer is to be made. The content offer may then be sentout to the potential consumer(s) as specified by the user.

Optionally, the system may access accounts of potential consumers of thecontent, and determine if the potential content consumers have requestedto be notified when content that meets specified criteria has becomeavailable for publishing. The system may compare the specified criteriafrom one or more potential content consumers with the tags, and if thereis a sufficient match (and optionally only if the potential consumersmatch the user's criteria), notify potential content consumers of thecontent which they may accept or not accept as similarly describedabove, and for which compensation may be paid as similarly discussedabove.

For example, an athlete may want to make a significant announcement byrecording a video offering it via the system to different mediapartners. Optionally, rather than offering an already recorded video,the athlete offer may state a subject regarding which the athlete iswilling to provide content on. For example, if an athlete was recentlyin an accident which ended his professional playing career, the offermay be an offer to record a video where the athlete would discuss hisfeelings and health. The offer may specify a price, format (e.g.,encoding type (e.g., MP4, AVI, MOV, etc.), number of pixels in theheight and width dimensions, etc.) and/or length.

Optionally, the system includes a bidding engine enabling potentialcontent consumers to bid on the content (or the offer to record thecontent). The auction winner's rights may include exclusive access tothe content, time-limited exclusive access, distribution-limited access,and non-exclusive rights.

If the offer is an offer to record content, an accepting media partnermay specify a length, format, and content details that the media partnerexpects or requires with respect to the content to be recorded by theathlete. Optionally, the athlete may refuse the media partner'sacceptance if the requirements set forth by the media partner are notacceptable to the athlete.

The system operator may, in certain embodiments, retain or be paid apercentage of a fee paid by requestor or a sponsor, or a flat fee, forthe use of a given item of content or a certain number of content items.The system operator may, in certain embodiments, be paid a portion ofadvertising and/or sponsorship fees associated with the use of an itemof content. The content contributors may optionally specify charities orother non-profits to which some or all of the compensation due to thecontributor may be contributed.

Optionally, the system operator may submit requests to potentialresponders on its own behalf, where the system operator may act as apublisher. For example, the system operator may submit a question tomultiple athletes regarding an event (e.g., “identify and discuss themost satisfying pitch you have thrown”) and assemble content from someor all the responses into a single item of content. The system operatormay then license the assembled content (and/or the individual responses)to a third party and/or post the assembled content (and/or theindividual responses) on a site, such as a publically accessiblewebsite.

Certain embodiments may track how many items of content a given user hassubmitted and/or how many items of submitted content have been accepted.Such contributing users may be ranked based on such tracked information,and the rankings may be published via social media (e.g., socialnetwork, blog, etc.), or otherwise. This may incentivize users toincrease their content contributions and the quality of their contentcontributions.

Referring to FIG. 1, an example process is illustrated. At state 102,profile information for potential contributors is received and stored ina database as similarly described above. At state 104, accountinformation for potential content publishers is received and stored(e.g., publisher name, content information, payment related information(e.g., a payment source identifier, such as a credit card or depositaccount), etc.). At state 106, a request for content from a contentpublisher is received at a system. As discussed above, the request mayinclude criteria describing responders that should be targeted with therequest (e.g., an athlete that had achieved a specified milestone), andthe type of content desired (e.g., a 2 minute video wherein the athletedescribes his feels at achieving the milestone). The request may specifya deadline for providing a response, the amount of compensation thatwill be paid, a desired period of exclusivity, the type of use to whichthe content will be put, and/or other information. The request mayinclude content, such as a video file or image, or a link to a videofile or image, that responders are requested to provide comments on(e.g., in the form of video comments) in their submission. For example,the video file may include a segment from a sporting event (e.g., aknockout in a boxing match) or a television show (e.g., a statement froma guest on a talk show) that the responders are being requested toprovide comments on. For example, the system operator may create achannel on a third party site that hosts video content.

By way of example, a media request user interface may be provided to apotential content publisher. The user interface may ask to identify afield of interest (e.g., sports, entertainment, etc.). If, for example,the content publisher selects sports, a menu of sports/sports leaguesmay be presented to the content publisher from which the contentpublisher may select. For example, the menu may list MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL,and/or other sports leagues. Based at least in part on the league/sportsselection, the system may optionally select a sport attributes userinterface to display to the publisher. For example, the sport attributesuser interface may list teams corresponding to the selected league,player positions corresponding to the league sport (e.g., baseballplayer positions, football player positions, etc.), non-playerprofessions (e.g., agent, coach, scout, medical, etc.) from which thepublisher may select. The publisher's selections may then be receivedand stored by the system as request criteria. Optionally, the publishermay also have previously defined a “favorites” list of experts. A userinterface may optionally be provided to the publisher listing thefavorites that meet some or all of the other request criteria specifiedby the publisher, where the publisher can select one or more of thefavorites to whom the request should be sent to.

At state 108, the system utilizes at least a portion of the requesterspecified criteria to identify profiles of potential contributors in thedatabase that sufficiently match. At state 110, the content request istransmitted to the identified matching potential contributors. At state112, responses are received by the system from one or more potentialcontributors. The content may optionally be stored with tagscorresponding to some or all of the request criteria (e.g., sport,position, player, team, etc.), time stamped (e.g., with date/time ofreceipt), and assigned a state of “pending”. At state 114, the publisheris provided access to the response(s), including the content. Thecontent may be watermarked before providing the publisher access to thecontent. At state 116, the system receives a selection and acceptance ofat least one response from the publisher. At state 118, the systemtransmits a notification acceptance to the corresponding responder andoptionally assigns the content a status of “complete”. At state 120, theresponder whose content was accepted is compensated and the publisher ischarged for the content. Optionally, the system operator also receivescompensation as similarly described above. The publisher may then beprovided the content without the watermark (e.g., as a download file, alink, via streaming media, or otherwise). At state 122, a determinationis made as to whether the period of exclusivity has ended. If the periodof exclusivity has ended, the content may be published via a socialmedia platform and/or offered to other publishers for publication.

Referring to FIG. 2, an example environment and architecture isillustrated. A content distribution facilitation system 204 includes adata store storing profiles of potential content contributors assimilarly described above. The content distribution facilitation system204 may be configured to perform some or all of the functions andprocesses described above, such as those discussed with respect toFIG. 1. The content distribution facilitation system 204 may be coupledover a wired and/or wireless network to one or more publisher systems206 and 208, from which content requests may be received, and to whichcontent responses from content contributors may be provided. A contentcontributor system 210 may be in the form of a mobile phone with acamera and a browser and/or application installed to access the userinterfaces discussed above, to record requested content, and to providethe recorded content to the content distribution facilitation system204. The recorded content may then be published by a publisher system,and viewed by a user, such as a fan, via a user terminal 212, which maybe a computer, television, or other terminal type.

Referring now to FIG. 3, and example interface is illustrated enabling auser to register as a potential responder. The user interface includesfields configured to receive some or all of the following: the user'sname, email address, mobile phone number, microblog user name (forTwitter® in this example), a preference indication for how the userwants to be contacted (e.g., email, SMS, phone, etc.), the user'sprofession/expertise (e.g., sports, entertainment, etc.), and location(e.g., where the user can enter high-level location information, such asNorth America, South America, Europe, etc.). The information received bythe user may then be stored by the system. As described elsewhereherein, the location and profession information may be used by thesystem to determine which users should be sent a given request forcontent.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example interface enabling the user to providemore information regarding the user's profession/expertise. In thisexample, the user indicated via the user interface of FIG. 3, that theuser's profession is sports, and so the system selected a sports userinterface to be presented to the user to collect additional relatedinformation. The example user interface includes an area of expertisefield via which the user can indicate whether the user is an athlete ora non-player (e.g., where the user may be a sports agent or scout),location fields to receive more detailed location information (e.g.,country, state/region, city, etc.), and profession details (e.g., sporttype and team). Optionally, the user interface may provide a menu (e.g.,a drop down menu) that presents certain sports and/or sports leaguesfrom which the user may select (e.g., Major League Baseball (MLB),National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL),National Hockey League (NHL), etc.). In this example, the system mayselect and provide a menu of sports team choices via which the user canselect a team, where the menu of choices is based on the user's sportselection. For example, if the user selects MLB, the sports menu maypresent a list of MLB teams from which to select. Optionally, the userinterface may enable the user to select several teams that the user hasbeen associated with. The information received by the user may then bestored by the system.

If the user indicated via the user interface illustrated in FIG. 3 thatthe user is an non-player (but is involved in the sports field), then auser interface may be provided asking the user to select a sport, assimilarly described above with respect to FIG. 4. For example a menu maybe provided that presents certain sports and/or sports leagues fromwhich the user may select. A user interface may be provided asking theuser to identify a non-player profession (e.g., by selected from adropdown menu from a set of professions, such as official, agent,medical, coach, scout, management, family, journalist, celebrity fan(e.g., a movie star)), and optionally in what years for one or more ofthe teams selected via the user interface illustrated in FIG. 3.

If the user indicated via the user interface of FIG. 3, that the user'sprofession is entertainment, the system may select an entertainment userinterface to be presented to the user to collect additional information.For example, a menu may be presented asking the user to indicate whattype of entertainer the user is (e.g., actor, musician, comedian,singer, director, producer, agent, etc.). The information received bythe user may then be stored by the system.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example content request submittal user interface.The example user interface may include fields via which the user canspecify a sport, team, and/or player as part of the request criteria,may include a list of experts previously designated as favorites orpreferred by the user, a field for receiving a request, and/or a list ofcontent (e.g., video content) provided in response to a previousrequest. The user may select an item of content to view, and may acceptor reject the content. Optionally, a list of requests submitted by otherusers may be presented, optionally with timestamps, enabling the user todetermine what subjects may be of high interest for a given time period.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface as it may be displayed on adevice (e.g., a mobile telecommunications device) of a potentialresponder, optionally via a dedicated application as similarly discussedelsewhere herein, via a web page, or otherwise. In this example, acontent request inbox is provided which visually lists content requeststransmitted to the potential responder device by a remote system, suchas that discussed above. In this example, a requester field is providedvia which the requester is identified, optionally by name and/or icon(e.g., a trademark of the requester). Optionally, all or a portion ofthe content request is displayed is a request subject field. The dateand/or time the request is received and/or the date and/or the time setby the requester for the request response may optionally be displayed indate field. Optionally, the status of the request may be displayed. Forexample, the status may indicate that the potential responder hassubmitted a response, and an indication as to whether the response wasaccepted (e.g., via a checkmark or other indicator), is pending (notaccepted or rejected) e.g., via a circular arrow or other indicator), orhas been rejected (e.g., via an “X” or other indicator). The status mayoptionally be tracked and transmitted to the device by the remotesystem. Optionally, a status indication may be provided indicating thatthe deadline for submitting a response has passed and/or that a responsefrom another responder has already been accepted by the requester for agiven content request. Optionally, the application or the system filtersout requests where the deadline for submitting a response has passed sothat such requests are no longer displayed in the content request inbox.The list of requests may be ordered automatically or in response to apotential responder instruction (e.g., provided by activating a sortcontrol) by the date/time request was received, by date/time the requestresponse is due, by requester name, or by subject. An indicator may beprovided to indicate whether or not the potential responder has opened agiven request. For example, bolding, underlining, and icon, or lackthereof may be used to indicate that a request has or has not beenviewed.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example user interface that may be displayed whenthe potential responder selects an item from the request inbox, such asthat illustrated in FIG. 6. The user interface may display the fullcontent request text and optionally other content request criteria(e.g., length, type, format, and/or other criteria discussed herein).The user interface may also provide compensation information (e.g., anaccepted response is worth 50 points, $50 dollars, or other type oramount of compensation). A record control may be provided, which whenactivated by the responder may initiate recording (e.g., voice and/orvideo) by the responder's device. The user interface may optionally alsoprovide status information with respect to the content request, assimilarly discussed above with respect to FIG. 6.

Optionally, when the responder activates the record button to initiate avideo recording, the request question and/or text that the requestinstructs the responder to recite, is positioned, sized, and/orsegmented by the application to be positioned near the responderdevice's camera lens. This will cause the responder's eyes to be lookingat the lens region when reading questions and/or text, resulting in abetter video. Optionally, the application will only display one or twolines of text at a time (the question text and/or the text the responderis asked to recite) adjacent to the lens (e.g., just below the lens), tobetter ensure that the responder's eyes are continuously directed to thecamera lens area during the video recording. If the text is too long todisplay on one line (or two lines) adjacent to the lens, the applicationmay advance the text by scrolling the next portion of the text onto thedevice's display and scrolling off the previous portion of the text, toensure the next displayed text is also displayed adjacent to the lens.The scrolling or other technique for changing the text may be performedin response to detecting a responder text advance command, automaticallybased on a desired pace of reading, or otherwise.

Thus, certain embodiments enable requests for content to selectively besubmitted to a specific target group of potential responders, such asathletes, actors, opinion leaders, industry experts, celebrities, asocial or working group, or the like, and further enable information andcontent received from responders to be distributed over one or moredistribution channels.

Certain embodiments may be implemented via hardware, software stored onmedia, or a combination of hardware and software. For example, certainembodiments may include software/program instructions/modules stored ontangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., magneticmemory/discs, optical memory/discs, RAM, ROM, FLASH memory, othersemiconductor memory, etc.), accessible by one or more computing devicesconfigured to execute the software (e.g., servers or other computingdevice including one or more processors, wired and/or wireless networkinterfaces (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, T1, DSL, cable, optical,or other interface(s) which may be coupled to the Internet), contentdatabases, customer account databases, etc.). Data stores (e.g.,comprising databases) may be used to store some or all of theinformation discussed herein in memory.

By way of example, a given computing device may optionally include userinterface devices, such as some or all of the following: one or moredisplays, keyboards, touch screens, speakers, microphones, mice, trackballs, touch pads, tilt sensors, accelerometers, biometric sensors(e.g., fingerprint or face recognition sensors for authenticating auser) printers, etc. The computing device may optionally include a mediaread/write device, such as a CD, DVD, Blu-ray, tape, magnetic disc,semiconductor memory, or other optical, magnetic, and/or solid statemedia device. A computing device, such as a user terminal, may be in theform of a general purpose computer, a personal computer, a laptop, atablet computer, a mobile or stationary telephone, an interactivetelevision, a set top box coupled to a display, etc. Certain embodimentsmay be able to conduct hundreds (or more) of transactions and processesdescribed herein within a second.

While certain embodiments may be illustrated or discussed as havingcertain example components, additional, fewer, or different componentsmay be used. Processes described as being performed by a given systemmay be performed by a user terminal or other system or systems.Processes described as being performed by a user terminal may beperformed by another system. Data described as being accessed from agiven source may be stored by and accessed from other sources.Transmissions described herein may be via a wired and/or wirelessnetwork or other communications link. Further, with respect to theprocesses discussed herein, various states may be performed in adifferent order, not all states are required to be reached, and fewer,additional, or different states may be utilized.

User interfaces described herein are optionally presented (and userinstructions may be received) via a user computing device using abrowser, other network resource viewer, or otherwise. For example, theuser interfaces may be presented (and user optionally instructionsreceived) via an application (sometimes referred to as an “app”), suchas a dedicated app configured specifically for social networking and/orcommunications activities, installed on the user's mobile phone, laptop,pad, desktop, television, set top box, phone, or other terminal. Forexample, an app may be downloaded to a user mobile device, such as asmart phone. Various features described or illustrated as being presentin different embodiments or user interfaces may be combined into thesame embodiment or user interface.

Various aspects and advantages of the embodiments have been describedwhere appropriate. It is to be understood that not necessarily all suchaspects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particularembodiment. Thus, for example, it should be recognized that the variousembodiments may be carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizesone advantage or group of advantages as taught herein withoutnecessarily achieving other aspects or advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein. Further, embodiments may include several novelfeatures, no single one of which is solely responsible for theembodiment's desirable attributes or which is essential to practicingthe systems, devices, methods, and techniques described herein. Inaddition, various features of different embodiments may be combined toform still further embodiments. For example, aspects found in differentuser interfaces may be combined to form still further user interface.

1. (canceled)
 2. A content management and distribution system,comprising: a computer system comprising one or more computing devices;a network interface; and a computer storage system comprising anon-transitory storage device, said computer storage system havingstored thereon executable program instructions that direct the computersystem to at least: provide for display on a first entity user device acontent request user interface comprising a description field thatenables the first entity to specify a content request; receive a contentrequest provided by the first entity via the content request userinterface; provide for display on the first entity user device aselection user interface that enables the first entity to select a firstcontent provider group from a plurality of content provider groups;receive a selection of the first content provider group by the firstentity via the selection user interface; enable the first entity toinitiate transmission of the content request to content sharingapplications hosted on camera-equipped devices of members of theselected first content provider group; enable visual media provided bycontent sharing applications hosted on camera-equipped devices ofmembers of the selected first content provider group in response to thecontent request to be stored in a data store; enable the first entity toaccess visual media provided by content sharing applications hosted oncamera-equipped devices of members of the selected first contentprovider group in response to the content request to be stored in a datastore in response to the content request; enable the first entity todownload visual media provided by content sharing applications hosted oncamera-equipped devices of members of the selected first contentprovider group in response to the content request to be stored in a datastore in response to the content request; and enable one or more itemsof visual media provided in response to the content request to bepublished on one or more social media platforms.
 3. The contentmanagement and distribution system as defined in claim 2, wherein agiven content sharing application hosted on a correspondingcamera-equipped device of a member of the selected first contentprovider group is configured to display content requests from aplurality of different entities in association with respective entityidentifiers.
 4. The content management and distribution system asdefined in claim 2, wherein the program instructions further direct thecomputer system to cause a mark to be displayed on a first item ofvisual media from a member of the first content provider group.
 5. Thecontent management and distribution system as defined in claim 2,wherein the one or more social media platforms comprise a microblogplatform and a social network platform.
 6. The content management anddistribution system as defined in claim 2, wherein a given contentsharing application hosted on a corresponding camera-equipped device ofa member of the selected first content provider group is configured todisplay a listing of content requests comprising an indication as torespective subject matters of the content requests, respective dates andtimes corresponding to when the respective requests were issued, andrespective content requester identifiers.
 7. The content management anddistribution system as defined in claim 2, wherein an item of visualmedia comprises video content or still image content.
 8. The contentmanagement and distribution system as defined in claim 2, wherein thecontent request user interface enables an expiration time, a type ofcontent being requested, and a video to be included in a contentrequest.
 9. The content management and distribution system as defined inclaim 2, wherein content requests transmitted to a first member of thefirst content provider group is accessible to the first member via aninbox provided via the content sharing application hosted on a device ofthe first member, the inbox configured to visually list content requeststransmitted to the first member, including at least a portion ofrespective request text and an identifier associated with an entity thatsubmitted the content request.
 10. The content management anddistribution system as defined in claim 2, wherein the programinstructions further direct the computer system to store a microblogidentifier for at least one content contributor.
 11. Acomputer-implemented method, the method comprising: enabling a contentrequest user interface comprising a description field to be displayed ona first entity user device that enables the first entity to specify acontent request; receiving a content request provided by the firstentity via the content request user interface; enabling a selection userinterface to be displayed on the first entity user device that enablesthe first entity to select a first group; receive a selection of thefirst group by the first entity via the selection user interface;enabling the first entity to initiate transmission of the contentrequest to content sharing applications hosted on devices of members ofthe selected first group; enabling visual media provided by contentsharing applications hosted on devices of members of the selected firstgroup in response to the content request to be stored in a data store;enabling the first entity to access visual media provided by contentsharing applications hosted on devices of members of the selected firstgroup in response to the content request to be stored in a data store inresponse to the content request; enabling the first entity to downloadvisual media provided by content sharing applications hosted on devicesof members of the selected first group in response to the contentrequest to be stored in a data store in response to the content request;and enabling one or more items of visual media provided in response tothe content request to be published on one or more social mediaplatforms.
 12. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 11,wherein a given content sharing application hosted on a correspondingdevice of a member of the selected first group is configured to displaycontent requests from a plurality of different entities in associationwith respective entity identifiers.
 13. The computer-implemented methodas defined in claim 11, the method further comprising causing a mark tobe displayed on a first item of visual media from a member of the firstgroup.
 14. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 11,wherein the one or more social media platforms comprise a microblogplatform and a social network platform.
 15. The computer-implementedmethod as defined in claim 11, wherein a given content sharingapplication hosted on a corresponding device of a member of the selectedfirst group is configured to display a listing of content requestscomprising an indication as to respective subject matters of the contentrequests, respective dates and times corresponding to when therespective requests were issued, and respective content requesteridentifiers.
 16. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 11,wherein an item of visual media comprises video content or still imagecontent.
 17. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 11,wherein the content request user interface enables an expiration time, atype of content being requested, and an image to be included in acontent request.
 18. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim11, wherein content requests transmitted to a first member of the firstgroup is accessible to the first member via an inbox provided via thecontent sharing application hosted on a device of the first member, theinbox configured to visually list content requests transmitted to thefirst member, including at least a portion of respective request textand an identifier associated with an entity that submitted the contentrequest.
 19. The computer-implemented method as defined in claim 11, themethod further comprising a microblog identifier for at least onecontent contributor.
 20. Non-transitory storage media having storedthereon executable program instructions configured to direct a computersystem to perform operations comprising: provide for display on thefirst entity user device a content request user interface comprising adescription field that enables the first entity to specify a contentrequest; receive a content request provided by the first entity via thecontent request user interface; provide for display on the first entityuser device a selection user interface that enables the first entity toselect a first group; receive a selection of the first group by thefirst entity via the selection user interface; enable the first entityto initiate transmission of the content request to content sharingapplications hosted on devices of members of the selected first group;enable visual media provided by content sharing applications hosted ondevices of members of the selected first group in response to thecontent request to be stored in a data store; enable the first entity toaccess visual media provided by content sharing applications hosted ondevices of members of the selected first group in response to thecontent request to be stored in a data store in response to the contentrequest; enable the first entity to download visual media provided bycontent sharing applications hosted on devices of members of theselected first group in response to the content request to be stored ina data store in response to the content request; and enable one or moreitems of visual media provided in response to the content request to bedistributed via a plurality of platforms.
 21. The non-transitory storagemedia as defined in claim 20, wherein a given content sharingapplication hosted on a corresponding device of a member of the selectedfirst group is configured to display content requests from a pluralityof different entities in association with respective entity identifiers.22. The non-transitory storage media as defined in claim 20, wherein theexecutable program instructions are configured to direct the computersystem to cause a mark to be displayed on a first item of visual mediafrom a member of the first group.
 23. The non-transitory storage mediaas defined in claim 20, wherein the plurality of platforms comprise amicroblog platform and a social network platform.
 24. The non-transitorystorage media as defined in claim 20, wherein a given content sharingapplication hosted on a corresponding device of a member of the selectedfirst group is configured to display a listing of content requestscomprising an indication as to respective subject matters of the contentrequests, respective dates and times corresponding to when therespective requests were issued, and respective content requesteridentifiers.
 25. The non-transitory storage media as defined in claim20, wherein an item of visual media comprises video content or stillimage content.
 26. The non-transitory storage media as defined in claim20, wherein the content request user interface enables an expirationtime, a type of content being requested, and an image to be included ina content request.
 27. The non-transitory storage media as defined inclaim 20, wherein content requests transmitted to a first member of thefirst group is accessible to the first member via an inbox provided viathe content sharing application hosted on a device of the first member,the inbox configured to visually list content requests transmitted tothe first member, including at least a portion of respective requesttext and an identifier associated with an entity that submitted thecontent request.
 28. The non-transitory storage media as defined inclaim 20, wherein the program instructions further direct the computersystem to store a microblog identifier for at least one contentcontributor.